


Seven Attempts at Proving Your Love To Your Best Friend or: How to Gain a Boyfriend in Seven Dates.

by malome78



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Get Together, M/M, Pining, Stucky Secret Santa Christmas in July Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malome78/pseuds/malome78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky comes back, and Steve wants to date him. Steve tries to court him over 7 dates. Some parts fluff, some parts angst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Attempts at Proving Your Love To Your Best Friend or: How to Gain a Boyfriend in Seven Dates.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Stucky I have ever written and it's only so/so. I can't format on this site for crap.

Seven Attempts at Proving Your Love To Your Best Friend

or: How to Gain a Boyfriend in Seven Dates.

By Malome78

 

          Steve didn’t really know how to do romance. He wasn’t able to talk to women at ninety-seven pounds in the 40’s and he isn’t able to talk to them now in 2015 and at two-hundred-forty pounds.The fact that the object of his affections is very much male, and someone he always could talk to doesn’t make the situation less complicated. Bucky Barnes is as much out of his league now as the pretty girls at the dance halls were before. 

        The situation had a whole multitude of issues. First, Bucky and Steve have just recaptured a weak facsimile of their former friendship. It grinded on Steve that the person who he used to be closer than a brother two seemed to have erected a wall between them. He understands that Bucky has been through hell and arrived on the other side again. He understand that Bucky is irrevocably changed by the trauma, Steve justs wishes Bucky would let him in. The second problem is that while Steve and Bucky have talked about their respective sexualities, Bucky doesn’t seem to be interested in Steve. He confessed to Bucky that he feels that he isn’t exactly straight, and really falls for the person themselves rather than their gender. Bucky in turn admitted that he is done living by constraints; whether they are on his life or  on sexuality and gender roles- he will be with who he wants to be with. The possibility is there, but first Steve has to convince Bucky that Steve is someone Bucky can love. Steve also has to convince Bucky that Steve’s interests are sincere, not based on pity or some sense that they should be together because of their past,  not that Steve wants them to be together.

        Wanting washed over Steve like water; longing for Bucky flowed over him in waves. He wanted him in the most visceral way possible.  In general Steve thought he was amazing. Steve would just fixate on Bucky’s mouth his lips were perpetually bitten, slightly swollen, and infinitely kissable.  His fingers twitched with the urge to run his hands through Bucky’s long dark hair; he couldn’t help imagine what it would be like to run his hands through, what it would feel like to pull on in the heat of the moment. Steve could stare into Bucky’s dark blue eyes that are steely and speak of the strength of the man;  eyes so deep you could almost see galaxies in their depth. Steve loved Bucky’s strong, square jaw that belied the determination of its owner. It was the little things about Bubby that drives Steve wild the most, the way Bucky’s eyes hood when he says something inscrutable,  the way he bites his bottom lip when he smirks, the way he could be most sincere and move to glib in ten seconds flat. Steve knew he had it bad and he knew he had to do something to win Bucky over, so he used his skills as a master tactician and created a plan- he was going to wo Bucky until he could get Bucky to consider him as a romantic partner.

        The question Steve faced was how to balance their shared past, with their hope for the future. Steve was tired of only owning the worst parts of each other. Steve wouldn’t give back the sadness, the trauma, the loneliness,  and depression; it’s what had led them to each other, defying all odds in a world that they could finally be together. They could be together if Steve could make Bucky see him as more than someone to commiserate over lost paths, someone other than a sharer in nightmares. Steve also knew that he would have to overcome the issue of their past. While it was ideal that he and Bucky shared a history in a way no one in this time ever  would with either of them, it was a liability. Steve had to deal with the fact that sometimes Bucky and he could share in a wistfulness for a simpler time, but other times they would be divided by events that Bucky could not remember, The times when Bucky would get excited when a new memory would come back to him never made up for the devastation when Steve would bring something up that he thought Bucky knew and seeing the light leave his eyes when he couldn’t make the connection.

        Steve decided he was going to woo Bucky through a series of grand romantic gestures to let Buck know he was loved for who he is today and who he was, and who he will be in the future. Seven days of grand romantic gestures and declarations of love and feelings. The first day of Steve’s plan went off as planned. Steve decided to hold a Christmas in July day for Bucky. Steve decorated their apartment with holly and lights. He bought cutout gingerbread dough from the supermarket and decorated the gingerbread men to look like him and Bucky. Steve even cued up “It’s a Wonderful Life” on the TV. Bucky seemed to enjoy himself and questioned where Steve got his Christmas aesthetic from because they never used to celebrate that way. Bucky and Steve also had a deeply philosophical talk about their place in the universe and if they would have better off dead.

        “You coming back has been the single best thing to happen to me Bucky” Steve whispers.

        “No need for hyperbole, Rogers” Bucky scoffs.

        “I am a man out of time. Everyone I loved died- until I found you again. Being unfrozen made my life the same as it was before I joined the Commandos. I was back to being a performing monkey ”

        “I didn’t do anything to change that.” Bucky retorted.

        "So I am just happy you’re here.” He fumbles over the right words. “ I want you to know that I am here for you too. If you want me to be. I can be whatever you need me to be whenever you want me to be. I just want to be near you and soak in that you’re really here. I am so happy that at time I think it might be a dream I am so lucky”.

        “I am not anything worth dreaming about, nightmares maybe, but not dreams.”

        “Because of you I have someone who knew me before the serum, someone who I have history with. Someone who I have shared experiences with. The Avengers are great, but they aren’t you. Do not ever wish that you didn’t come back.” Steve explained with vehemence.

        “Don’t get all sappy on my Steve; there are times I can’t claim that I know who I am, let alone who you were before your serum. If you’re looking for a friend to share in nostalgia you might want to look elsewhere.”

        “I don’t care if we can wax about the past and the good old days. The past wasn’t that great: We were poor. I was sick. You worked to all the time. We barely had enough for food. Then we went to war. Not things I you make scrapbooks about.” Steve argued, “The only thing that I had that mattered back then was your friendship. Having you in my life was the only meaningful thing I had, even when I had nothing I had you”

        “I am not the same person Stevie”

        “Doesn’t matter, you’re still my best friend. You are still my anchor to the past, you’re here to keep me afloat in the present, and we’ll sail into the future together.” Steve waxed poetically.

        “What am I a fucking boat?” Bucky snorted,

        “Why you going to be giving out rides later?” Steve chuckled.

        “Only if I can find someone to put some wind in my sails” Bucky replied with a wink.

        “Looks like you’re at half- mast already there Barnes” Steve leered.

        “Want me to slip into your port? I’ll show you how high the mainsail can go” Bucky joked.

         With the somber mood effectively gone and the conversation headed somewhere Steve was not prepared to go to so early in his plans he got up to leave the room. He gave Bucky a friendly hug went to bed. It was good progress considering they hadn’t had much contact since Bucky came back other than accidental touches.

         The second day did not go nearly as well. Steve took Bucky out to an old diner and to see some museums in New York. It was easy going and enjoyable until they saw a mural on the side of an old Brooklyn building memorializing the Howling Commandos and the two Brooklyn soldiers. Bucky lamented that he felt people would rather he return to his former self or stay gone.

         “Is that how you see me Stevie, as someone that lived and then died?” Bucky asked quietly.

         “What do you mean?”

        “People act like James Barnes is in the past. Like they can’t reconcile that James Barnes and the Winter Soldier are the same person.” "Everyone knows James Barnes was Captain America's best friend, not many people remember he is also the same man who fought him in D.C." Bucky explained.

        “You’ll always be my buddy Bucky. I look at you everyday and see you as a gift. My best friend isn’t dead and gone. I get to spend the rest of my life with you ‘till the end of the line’ like we always said.” Steve replied.

        Bucky moved to look at Steve at arms length. “Do you still feel like Bucky Barnes of the 107th is dead?”

        “A lot about you is different. But some stuff isn't, and that's comforting. The fundamentals about you as a person are still there. You are still a jerk. You still know how to walk into a room and draw all the attention to yourself, even without knowing it. You still smoke like a chimney. You still know how to press every button I have, You still have a way of looking me in the eyes and seeing right past all my defenses. Most importantly, you are still a good man.”

       “Do you ever miss the other Bucky?” Bucky asked, head cocked to the side.

       “Maybe I miss the secure, stable, immovable closeness and devotion we once had, but still no matter what the future paints for us, it will always be you and me against the rest of the world”

       “You can’t guarantee that you won’t get fed up and leave me if I never get my memories back. How long are you prepared to stay at arm's length? How long till the hopes that I’ll ever be better disappears?” Bucky asked in a small and fragile voice.

      “Bucky, you aren’t something broken that I am trying to fix, and I am not eulogizing the version of you from the past.” Steve all but shouted in exasperation.

      “You say that now” Bucky said before he was cut off by Steve.

      “I can guarantee I will be by your side forever. The fundamentals about who you are haven’t changed, the fundamentals of my feelings for you won’t either. I meant it before when I said I was with you until the end of the line

      “As long as you know I’m a lost cause I guess I can stand your company around.”

      “Bucky you live in my apartment, I would hope you could stand my company.”

      “Yeah, well it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Punk!” Bucky retorts with a slight smile

     They walked back to their current apartment in silence, but Steve was able to end the night with another hug. This time it lingered a little longer. The night unsettled Steve, he knew Bucky’s self esteem was not where it should be, but he hadn’t realized how low it truly was. Bucky hated himself and hated being reminded of his past. It was almost as if he felt like he wasn’t worthy of his past and the admiration it drew. Bucky was right about people treating him like his past self and his present self were distant relatives and not the same person. Steve decided from that moment on he would no longer dwell on Bucky’s past or mourn on the possibilities they had missed out on. Steve needed to plan on showing Bucky his love for who he became and all the possibilities they have in front of them.  

     Steve decided the third day should be all about celebrating who Bucky is now. He went to the craft store and bought some silver paint, black velcro, a domino mask, and sewing supplies. On his way home from the craft store he picked up a small brown teddy bear and a squirt gun at the toy store. When he got home he went to work creating what he thought was the perfect gift. A newly designed Bucky Bear to compliment the way Bucky looked and dressed now. Steve knew Bucky had a few of the older style Bucky bears with the navy peacoat and domino mask in his room- not that he would admit to having stuffed animals. After a few hours Steve had something he was proud of and couldn’t wait to give his project to Bucky. He wrapped it up and put it into a large gift bag covered in kittens and dropped it on Bucky’s lap. Bucky smiled as he took the gift and rooted in the bag. While Bucky was preoccupied with the giftbag he stuffed another wrapped package into the couch cushions behind him. Bucky finished unwrapping the bear in the bag. Steve wished he brought a camera because the look on Bucky’s face was priceless. Bucky obviously wasn’t sure what to make of the teddy bear wearing Winter Soldier combat dress. Bucky glanced over the plush bear he held in his hand turning it over and over with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

        “Whatever I was expecting to be in that bag this wasn’t it” Bucky said.

        “You don’t like it?” Steve asked nervously.

        “Where did this come from?” Bucky inquired.

        “I made it for you. Remember I am an artist. Arts and crafts count.” Steve replied.  

        “Who the hell makes cute plushes of trained killers?” Bucky asked as he turned it around in his palm.

        “I just wanted to remind you that you aren’t as scary as you think” Steve said with a smirk.

        “What the hell are you trying to did give me, Stevie- a complex?” Bucky muttered to himself.

        “Hey, I always thought you were pretty cuddly” Steve exclaimed.

        “How much time did you put into this thing?” Bucky asked with wonderment. He turned the bear over to examine details.

        “Not too long. I had a hard time switching out the eyes. Yours are blue and the teddy bear had brown eyes.” Steve said thoughtfully.

        “What do you want me to do with it? Seems a little creepy sleeping with myself.  I don’t think it's safe to have a trained assassin in my room.”

        Steve chuckled as he pulled another teddy bear out from his secret hiding place in the couch cushions. “Good thing there’s a little Captain America bear to keep him company.”

        “So now you want me to sleep with you?” Bucky asked and Steve blushed at how close Bucky had come to the truth in that statement.

        “I told you that I would be by your side forever. That means even your bedroom, even your teddybear self.”

        "I've gotta careful what I do in bed now because it will feel like you’re watching me with your little teddy eyes.” Bucky joked and smiled softly as he ducked into his bedroom. He placed his new Bucky and Captain bears on the shelf with the collection of his older style “Bucky Bears”. Steve didn’t mention it and just left him alone in his room to stare at it.

        Bucky realized something was going on by day four when he awakes to a full color pencil drawing of him focusing on his metal arm. Steve isn’t sure if the gesture made Bucky realize the depth of his feelings for Bucky, but he hoped it did. Bucky seemed content enough that night while Steve ran his hand through his hair idly. It was a gesture that Steve had never attempted before and struggled to make it seem nonchalant- slowly reaching his arm around Bucky as if he were merely stretching. It wasn’t until Bucky got up from the couch to go to bed that Steve realized what truly was going through his head.

        "You don’t have to draw me pictures Steve; I get it. No need for overkill and sentimental bullshit." Bucky stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

        The air seemed to rush from Steve’s lungs. This was backfiring spectacularly. “Buck, what do you think I am trying to say here?” Steve carefully asked, leveling his eyes on Bucky.

        Bucky gave an exasperated sigh, as if he was being asked to explain something exceedingly simple to a child. “You understand I am not the same as I was before, and you accept it. You don’t hold it against me that I changed.”

        Steve stood mouth gaping. “You obviously have no idea what I’m thinking buddy. You obviously haven’t changed that much because you’re still taking all the stupid around with you.”

        Bucky looked away. "Look, it’s okay, it must be hard seeing a virtual stranger walking around with your best-friends face.”

       "Is that what you think all of this has been, me showing you I’ve come to terms that our friendship isn’t going to pick up where it was seventy years ago. I see you as a friend for who you are now. I am not settling or putting up with you  because of sentimentality.”

       Bucky just looked at his feet in embarrassment. “Why did you draw the picture then, it’s not as if I forgot about the metal arm, or that  I look different from the old me.”

      “Bucky, I drew the pictures so you could see how beautiful and powerful you look through my eyes. You walk around as if you’re some hideous monster. The phantom of the opera didn’t have as big of an aversion to seeing his own face as you do. You are a work of art. Every part of you is beautiful.”

      “Maybe I just expect the outside to match the inside” Bucky quietly replies.

      “Buck, I can assure you that your insides are gorgeous. You’re a hero. You saved my life more times than I can ever begin to repay you for. You are one of the strongest people I have ever known.”

      “I also have killed people and acted as a puppet for the people I swore I would die to stop.”

      “The fact that you are here with me is a testament to your strength, you were brainwashed and tortured and you stand here today in defiance of all that. The people you killed were part of war, it is never a good thing to take a life, but it was necessary. The deaths that happened after you fell are on your captors not yours to claim.” Steve pleaded, “You could have killed me on that aircraft carrier but you didn’t. You pulled me out of the water when everything they did to you over seventy years should have made it so you couldn’t.”

      Bucky looked up from the floor with wetness in his eyes.  Steve just draws him into a loose hug. Bucky seems content after that to linger in Steve’s embrace, he doesn’t even run away when Steve puts a light kiss on his forehead. He held Bucky until he fell asleep and listened to the sound of his breathing even out until he too fell asleep. It was progress and Steve was happy. He didn’t think that Bucky was ever going to realize how much Steve loved him, but he would settle for Bucky not hating himself.

       Steve is emboldened by his success and decides to amp up his game for the fifth attempt. He greets Bucky with a bouquet of bacon roses and formally asks Bucky on a date.

       “Hey, I picked these up for you. Something a little more special than cold cereal and coffee”, Steve says as he hands Bucky the roses, “You want to go out and do something fun with me? I mean, I think it would be fun if you went out with me”. So maybe he wasn’t spelling it out in black and white, but it was pretty obvious what he meant, Steve thought.

       Bucky seems to contemplate the idea before giving him a tentative yes.  

      “Great, there is this new bar I wanted to try out, and it’s right by Coney Island. I am really glad you said yes.” Steve beamed.

      "It’s no big deal, it’s not like you couldn’t have gone by yourself if you really wanted too.” Bucky said shuffling his feet.

      “The point is, I wanted to go there with you, wouldn’t be special by myself” Steve winked and walked away to get ready.

      Later that night Steve takes Bucky out to the hip new gastro bar, and then to Coney Island. They went on rides and play games. Steve even won Bucky a goldfish at the test of strength game. Bucky shows him up by winning him a stuffed unicorn the size of a real pony at the rifle game.

     “Is it just me or is Coney Island getting smaller?” Steve asks cocking his head to the side.

      “You’re just jealous because I won the better prize” Bucky laughed as he playfully hit Steve on the shoulder.

      “Whatever jerk, those games are rigged anyway.” Steve laughed.

      “Says the man who is has to carry a large stuffed animal all night, one he didn’t win.”

      Bucky slung his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “Let’s go see if super soldiers get motion sickness.”

      They spend the night laughing and enjoying the easy camaraderie. There is only slight awkwardness when Steve grabs Bucky’s hand and holds it as they meander around the pier, but he doesn’t pull away..

      “It was nice doing something new and old at the same time. All world has changed, we’ve changed, but Coney Island is still familiar”, Steve muses.

      “It’s different enough to have survived the decades, but still special because I remember it. I can see how it used to be under the updates.” Bucky countered

      “Like us” Steve whispers as he pulls Bucky into a tentative hug.

      “Yeah I guess I can see that skinny kid under all your protruding muscles, but I don’t think many people see me and think of Captain America’s sidekick.

      Steve searched Bucky’s eyes for a second before leaving a kiss on Bucky’s cheek.

     “I see you the way I’ve always seen you, as my best friend and the best man I’ve ever known”. Steve says pulling Bucky a little closer.

     Bucky pulls back afterwards and says, “Thank you Steve”

     “For what?” Steve asked perplexed.

     “For forcing me out into the world, making me rejoin the human race” Bucky countered.

     “Don’t mention it Buck” Steve replied with a smile.  

     “Someday I might even be ready to go out on my own, and take a nice girl here- it would make a good date.” Steve was devastated.

     Day six is when things get messy, both figuratively and literally. Steve tries to make Bucky dinner at home, so he can talk to him and share his feelings. It doesn’t go as planned. The stew he was trying to make came out really lumpy and glue. It resembled nothing of the meal Bucky’s mom made the, when they were kids. Steve also tried to make chocolate cake with a simple powdered sugar glaze, but the end result was a sad chocolate donut looking thing. Even the glaze turned out lumpy.  It made Steve feel a little lumpy in the head to be honest. Bucky just scowled like he wanted to set the whole kitchen on fire.

    “Look I know it’s not Winifred’s stew, and the cake was pretty terrible stew, but I wanted to make you something comforting.” Steve rambled nervously.

    “You didn’t have to cook, we could have ordered in.” Bucky monotoned.

    “I really wanted to do something nice, make this place all warm and homey and nostalgic with a meal I knew you’d like, well if I had made a half decent version of it.”

    “You don’t cook, I don’t think you had even used the kitchen one time before I moved in”

    “So, I wanted to try this for you.” Steve stated incredulous that it seemed Bucky was giving him the third degree.

    “You are a shitty cook, you always have been. You’re the only Mick that could burn potatoes trying to boil them” Bucky growled.

    “I just wanted to do something nice for you”.

    “Enough Steve! I can’t do this anymore. I can handle everyone else treating me like I am a freak. Like I am broken. I can’t stand you walking on eggshells all the time. You don’t have to keep going out of your way to be nice Steve. Whatever you want to call it, I don’t need a fucking babysitter Steve.”

    “What do you mean?” Steve replied off-guard.

    “Stop playing stupid Steve, it doesn’t look good on you.” Bucky growled.

    “I’m not...” Steve stammered before he was cut off.

     Bucky cut him off looking absolutely devastated “Steve, I appreciate everything you’re doing to help, but my heart can’t handle this. I am not good at reading signals anymore and I don’t want to be let down after this hair braiding bullshit ends. My recovery can’t take the let down, not from you. I can’t lose you because this farce has made me think you’re going to be something you can’t be for me” Bucky stomps to the front door. “ I’m not going to be let down, not by you. It’s not fair because you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

     Steve just stood there speechless.  Maybe he need to try and be forthright and honest. Bucky had been played with enough. Why would Steve have thought  it would be a good idea to try and win Bucky over through these dates. He knew it was a romantic gesture, but Bucky needed him to be transparent and not play games with him and his emotions. Steve was going to have to have a long conversation and lay all the uncertainty to rest. He would deal with the pieces wherever they may lie when he was finished.

     He rubbed his face and trotted off to bed. You would think a master tactician could come up with a better plan.

     Day seven is when Steve loses it. Steve  decides he has had enough courtship and needs to stop beating around the bush. Steve pulled Bucky aside and made him sit down at their counter.

     “Bucky, I always loved you. I will love you with every fiber of my being forever, with nothing held back. I love you enough that I am willing to perhaps lose the most important person in my life.  I can’t live without telling you I love you, even if it means I can’t have you as a friend anymore.” Steve tried to explain with tears streaming down his face.

     “I loved you since the moment I met you. You are so oblivious. I never hid how I felt” Bucky pleaded. “I didn’t even attempt to tell you because it should have been obvious. It was obvious when I stayed with you when you were on the brink of death time after time, even though it nearly killed me seeing you that weak; knowing one day you would go where I couldn’t follow. Still I followed you into every fight and mended your broken body afterward, never knowing when you were going to take on more than you could handle- when I wasn’t going to get there in time and find you dead in an ally. It was obvious in the way I looked at you, even though I knew someone was going to put the pieces together even if you were too stupid. It was obvious when I  followed you to the front lines when we both could have gone home. It was obvious when I stepped aside and let you do your thing with Peggy, even though it killed me because at least you would be happy. It was obvious when you broke my programing. Seventy years of brainwashing and you were still in my head. I didn’t know who I was, but I fucking knew you punk!”

     “I never knew- I didn’t realize” Steve said weakly, shock apparent in his voice.

     “Maybe I am not shouting it from the rooftops, but you are my home and I love you.”

      Neither of them said anything after that, they were too busy kissing. Steve foun Bucky’s mouth to be hot, and sweet and smokey. After wanting him for so long and imagining this moment time and again he was worried it wouldn’t live up to his expectations but it shattered them. The kiss was needy and insistent, all tongues and teeth. Passion moving them from the kitchen into the living room.

     Bucky gently pushed Steve onto the couch and began exploring his body slowly. Bucky dragged his hands up and down Steve’s back, under his shirt and over his stomach. He took extra care caressing each of Steve’s abs, moving over to his pecs and fingering his nipples. Steve gasped and moaned after each of Bucky’s ministrations, allowing Bucky to deepen the kiss into something truly filthy.  

     Steve started grabbing Bucky’s butt and forcing their clothes erections to rub together. Bucky groans and starts to work the two of them out of their pants. After both of them are disrobed and moving naked against each other Bucky makes a move to roll them over so Steve is on top.

     “I was thinking, been thinking for a while actually, that I’d really like for you to fuck me,” Steve says tentatively.

     “Christ, you have no idea how much I wanted you to say that. I got you, I got you," Bucky murmured, easing Steve down on his back. He took his time opening Steve up and lavishing his love and attention on every part of him. By the time Bucky told Steve to roll onto all fours Steve was writhing in pleasure and ready for Bucky to take him. The lovemaking was slow and sensual and then fast and frenzied and perfect. Steve couldn’t ask for his first time with Bucky to be any better. When they finally finished they held each other in their arms.

    “I love you. I am glad we finally were able to do this.” Steve smiled as he snuggled against Bucky’s neck sleepily.

    “Me too Punk” Bucky replied with a yawn.

**Author's Note:**

> If you hate something, tell me and I might change it. If like something about this and want more, feel free to take and expand on it and transform my work into one uniquely yours.


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